Animal-trap.



W. V. GAGE.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14. 1913.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETSSKEET 1.

IN VEN TOR.

w. v. GAGE. ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, 1913.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

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sfrans PA, J

WILL V. GAGE, OF PRIMERO, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T0 GUY A.PAYNE,

OF PRIMERO, COLORADO, AND ONE-FOURTH TO BENJAMIN F. SPRINGER, 0F TRINI-DAD, COLORADO.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

PatentedDec. 15, 1914..

Application filed July-14, 1913. Serial No.- 778,984.

Primero, in the county of Las Animas and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal- Traps, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to animal traps and more particularly to devicesof this character which are specially adapted for entrap ping mice andrats.

My invention consists briefly, in the pro vision of an oblong bracketwhich projects laterally from a suitable upright support, above areceptacle adapted to receive and retain the entrapped animals. Theupper surface of this bracket is smooth and transversely rounded and ithas at its outer end, means for securing a piece of cheese or other baitby which the rodents are attracted and which causes them to venture ontothe smooth surface.

Experiments have fully demonstrated the fact that whenthe animal hasonce moved onto the bracket, all attempts to return to the support fromwhich the latter projects are of no avail, and the animals invariablylose their foot-hold on the slippery surface and fall off the' bracketinto the-subjacent receptacle which is preferably, partially filled withwater in which the animals eventually drown.

- The devices .whereby the bracket may be attached to the support fromwhich it projects, the means employed to secure-bait at its extremity,or the material of which itis constructed are all features which thoughnecessary in the operation of my invention, are of minor importance, theone essential requirement for the eflectuality of the invention beingthe smooth surface which prevents a rodent which has moved thereon, fromin any way returning to the support with which the device isconnected. II

Inasmuch as the animals usually lose their footing on the surface of thebracket before they reach the bait placed at the extremity thereof, mytrap is particularly adapted to catch mice and rats in large quantities.

My improved trap is adapted to catch rats as well as mice, all that isnecessary; to adapt it for the entrapment ofv the larger animals, beingto make its proportions sufficiently large to compel'the n to moveentirely onto its slippery surface before they can reach thebai In casea trap designed exclusively for catching mice is used in a place alsoinfested with rats, I secure at the end of the bracket adjacent thesupport from which it projects, a simple attachment which withoutinterfering with the progress'of the'smaller animals,prevents the largerrodents from moving onto the bracket.

In the'accompanying drawings in the various views of which like partsare similarly designated, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of myimproved trap in its preferred form, the receptacle in which the animalsare collected having been shown in section, F ig. 2, a plan view of thebracket detached from its support, Fig. 3, a rear end elevation of thedetached bracket looking in the direction of the arrow A, Fig. 2, Fig.4, an underneath view of the bracket without the means by which it isfastened to the support, Fig. 5, a section taken along the line 5-5,Fig. 4, Fig. 6, a sectional elevationshowing a modified construction ofthe bracket and the means employed to fasten it to the support, Fig. 7,a perspective view of the fastening device used in the constructionshown in Fig. 6, Fig. 8, a sectional s elevation showing a method ofsecuring the bracket directly to the side of the container in which theentrapped animals are received, Fig. 9, an elevation of a trap ofmodified construction, Fig. 10, a fragmentary elevation showing anothermodification of the invention, and Figs. 11. and 12, elevaample, beingwell adapted for the purpose.

3 designates the bracket which projects from the side of the support ina plane with the upper surface of the same, and 4: indicates thereceptacle which is disposed below ,the laterally projecting part 5 ofthe bracket to receivetheanimals which fall off the same, the receptaclebeing partially filled with a liquid-as shown at 6.

. -The upper surface of the laterally projecting member 5 of the bracketis smoothly finished and transversely rounded. The

member tapers slightly toward its outer eX- tremity and its undersurface is hollowed, principally for the purpose of placing a piece ofbait, such as shown at 7 in Fig. 1, between two oppositely projecting,sharp;

edged lips 8 formed at its outer end.

A plate 9 formed integral withthe projecting member of the'bracket atsubstantially right angles thereto, is provided to en the uprightsurface of the support from which the bracket projects, and the member'5 is provided adjacent the said 7 top of the support as shown in thedrawings,

securely fasten the bracket in its operative position with relationthereto.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1, .Z and the attachment provided toprevent animals larger than mice from reaching the bait at the end ofthe projecting part of the bracket, has been shown in its operativeposition. This attachment consists of a pair of sharp pointed horns 14:which are connected at their lower ends by a U-shaped shank 15 which isoffset at 16 to provide aseat which in practice. rests upon the uppersurface of the bracket, as shown in Fig. 1.

The horns 1e diverge upwardly and are curved rearwardly with respect tothe by placing the yoke between the plate 9 of bracket to which theattachment is applied the bracket and the side of the support from whichit projects. The distance between the home at their lower ends, is madesulficiently large to allow the movement of-a mouse between them, buttoo small for the passage of a rat, and the larger; animals are thuspreven-ted thereby from reaching the surface of the projecting part ofthe bracket.

In the construction shown in' Figs. 6 and v 7', the projecting piece -5is formed separately and provided at its rear end with an integralbutton 17 adapted to be inserted into a corresponding recess of ametallic de vice 18- which by means of downwardly and inwardlyprojecting prongs 19, is secured to the support.

The bracket shown in Fig. 8 is constructed similar to that illustratedin Fig. 1, but-it" is secured directly to the receptacle at the innersurface of one of the upright sides thereof by inserting the platemember 9 I through a loop 20 secured to the said side belowits upperedge. The receptacle in this construction, is placed contiguous to abortface of which extends approximately in a and with the upper surfaceofthe Jproj ecting par-t of theibracket. a In the construction shown inFig. 9, a receptacle 22 and a projecting piece 23 which is constructedsimilarto the part 5 of the 2 l or other suitable article, the uppersur- .planewith the upper edgeof the receptacle ,hereinbeforedescribedbrackets, are cast integral with each other and one side of thereceptacle is formed-an inclined approach 241a which renderstheprojection readily accessible and thereby increases the effectuality ofthe device.

, The'construction illustrated in' 1O differs from the 3 others only inthat the bracket has no-fastening means other-thana slot 25 in its platemember to, receive. a nail or screw 26 whichis drivenin the side of thesupport2 for the suspension of the bracket. -The brackets shown in]Figs. 11 and 12 differ from thosev liereinbefore' described in thattheir laterally projecting partsj5 are formed at an acute angle tojtheirplate members 9, that shown in Fig. 12 being-curved longitudinally,while that illustrated in Fig. 11 isjsubstantiallystraight.

WVhile the brackets comprised in themvention may be composed of anymaterial adapted to be smoothly finished, I prefer to make the articleof glasswhich has a nat ural polish and'is easily cleaned.

- The operation ofthe trap is as hereinbe fore explained exceedinglyvsimple, the animal smelling the bait crawls from the sup- .port2 ontothe smooth rounded surfaceof the lateral projection5,loseshis footingand falls into the receptacle in which it drowns.

The traponce being provided with baitis adapted to catch a number ofrodents, limitedonly by the capacity of the receptacle,

for experiments have proven that in almost every instance theanimalsfallfofi the projection before they have been ,abletoreach thebait.

. Having thus describedmy invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters-Patent is: I v 1.An animal trap comprisingin'combination with asuitable support, a lateral projection having asmooth upper, surface,and

at its outer end, means for securing bait, a

. Provide a p assa 'e of limited w dth. 2i In a mouse trap,'a projectingmember having a smooth upper surface and at the, underside of-Tits outerend, a pair; of oppositely disposed lips to se-v cu-rebalt. v V l 3. Inan animal trap, a bracket including two-"angularly disposed members, oneof bracket including a receptacle disposed to receive animals fallingoff the said projectiomand apair of up wardly projecting horns at theend of the projection adjacent-the support, in spaced relation-to eachother,-to

which has a smooth upper surface'and means at its outer end for securingbait, and the other member having means for securing the bracket to anupright support.

4. In an animal trap, an oblong piece having a smooth upper surface andat one of its ends, means for securing bait,,and means for securing saidpiece in a projecting position on a support to which its opposite end isadjacent.

5. An animal trap comprising a receptacle, a projection supported at oneof its ends, above the said receptacle and having a smooth upper surfaceand at its opposite end, means for securing bait, and a pair ofconnected horns adapted to be secured at the first mentioned end of saidprojection, in an upwardly projecting position, said horns be ing spacedto provide a passage of limited width.

6. An animal-trap comprising a projecting member fiXed at one of itsends and having a smooth upper surface which provides an only path foranimals from its said end to a bait placed adjacent its opposite end, areceptacle disposed to receive animals falling ofi the said member, andmeans at the fixed end of the member for preventing access to the saidsurface of the same, to animals of more than a determinate size.

7. In an animal trap, an oblong member capable of being fixed at one ofits ends in projecting relation to a support and having atits oppositeend, means for securing bait, the upper surface of said member beingsmooth and laterally slanting to cause r0- dents to lose their footholdthereon when end of the member, the upper surface of themember beingsmooth and laterally slanting to cause rodents to lose their foot-holdthere- I on when attempting to approach bait secured by said means.

9. The combination with an open-receptacle of an oblong member fixed atone of its ends and projecting over the receptacle,

and means for securing bait adjacent, the

opposite'end of the member, the upper surface of the member being smoothand laterally slanting to causerodents to lose their foot-hold thereonwhen attempting to approach bait secured by said means.

10. An animal-trap comprising a projecting member fixed at one of itsends and having a smooth upper surface which provides an only path foranimals from its said end to a bait placed adjacent its opposite end, areceptacle disposed to receive animals falling off the same member, andmeans detachably disposed at the fixed end of the member for preventingaccess to the said surface of the same, to animals of more than adeterminate size.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of twoWitnesses.

WILL V. GAGE.

Witnesses: I

K. M. BRANSON, L. Gr. DEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

